A Family Program in Cuba

Independent arrivals in Havana.

Drive into town stopping enroute at the Plaza de la Revolución. This is the most politically important square in Cuba and one of the largest city squares in the world. It has stood witness to many rallies and revolutions that have altered the course of Cuban history. Presiding over the square is an almost 60-foot statue of José Martí.

Enjoy lunch at Cocina de Lilliam, one of the oldest private restaurants in Havana. Located in a secluded villa with a garden set amongst trickling fountains and tropical ferns. 

Check into the Marques de la Torre, ideally located in the heart of Old Havana. 

This evening attend, your first lecture and then enjoy a welcome dinner on the roof-top of the hotel which offers stunning views of old Havana.

Overnight: Marques de la Torre

Meals: L, D

Morning lecture by architect and urban planner, Miguel Coyula who will address the history of Old Havana from its architecture to its role in the city’s urban development. Dr. Coyula is an authority on the history and preservation of Havana and is also a retired professor at the Faculty of Architecture of Havana where he taught since 1969.

Continue on to explore Havana’s historical core on a walking tour. Admire the city’s many squares and its cathedral, as well as the buildings renovated by Habaguanex, the semi-private entity that manages the restoration of Old Havana, Accompanying the group this morning will be architect Carolina Ramos.

Enjoy a rehearsal of MalPaso. This extraordinary dance group melds the techniques of classical ballet and American modern dance with traditional Afro-Cuban dance and other styles including Cuban rumba and Spanish flamenco. The company has become one of the most sought-after Cuban dance companies and is committed to working with top international choreographers while also nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography. The company tours with 11 dancers and is led by its original three founders: resident choreographer and Artistic Director Osnel Delgado, Executive Director Fernando Sáez, and dancer and co-founder Daileidys Carrazana. Meeting the group will be Fernando Saez.

Enjoy lunch at the lovely home of curator Milagros Borges Gomez where you can also admire the works of several Cuban artists including Kunta, Ruben Rodriguez, Salvador Corratge, and Orestes Hernandez. 

After lunch visit the Museo de Bellas Artes, Cuban Collection accompanied by a curator of contemporary art. The museum’s origins date back to 1842 when the San Alejandro Art Academy started its collection, which forms the nucleus of the museum founded in 1913. It expanded greatly after Castro took over in 1959, notably with works from the private collections of Julio Lobo and Oscar Cintas. 

Enjoy dinner this evening at Cha Cha Cha, one of the city’s best private restaurants 

Overnight: Marques de la Torre

Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast attend a round-table discussion on the Cuban economy by Professor Jorge Mario Sanchez. Dr. Sanchez is a macro-economist and professor at the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy at the University of Havana. He has also been a visiting professor at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.

Meet the only Cuban theater company made up by children, La Colmenita (the little beehive). Founded on February 14, 1990, the group began as a dream of Carlos "Tin" Cremata when he was still a student at the Cuban Theatrical Art Institute directing aquatic and judo performances with young people. The 90 actors in La Colmenita range from three to fourteen years of age. It is the first theatre group, and one of very few groups of any kind, to become a Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund

After lunch at Grados continue by bus to the neighborhood of Marianao to learn about a project called Angeles del Futuro (Angels of the Future) in which children aged between 7-15 years are trained in circus skills. The project was founded by circus performer Kiko, who was concerned about the children of his neighborhood spending too much time worrying about social media. His great passion for his craft found him seeking permission from the government to use an abandoned building to train children to perform various circus acts—and empowering his students by teaching them strength, endurance, and discipline. 

Dinner tonight is on your own.

Overnight: Marques de la Torre

Meals: B, L

After breakfast meet with Norma Guillard who is featured in the documentary film La Maestra (running time 33 minutes) which tells the personal stories of the youngest women literacy workers who went to the mountains and valleys across the island to teach—and found themselves deeply transformed in the process. Griselda was one of youngest of those women.

After the discussion, drive to Ernest Hemingway’s home, which has been lovingly preserved and recently restored by the Cuban government. The house was designed by Spanish architect Miguel Pascual y Baguer in 1922 and was inhabited by Hemingway from 1939 to 1960. Today, it hosts a large collection of over 22,000 items including books, records, furniture, paintings, and stuffed animals. The house is just as Hemingway left it, with the books on the tables and many of his favorite photographs on display. While it is not possible to go inside the house, the windows are left open for a decent view of the interior.

Enjoy lunch at El Devino restaurant.

After lunch, a selection of classic cars will be waiting for the group!  Learn more about classic cars after your ride by visiting the workshop of Nostalgicar, a classic car mechanic shop. Meet with the team working at the shop who will talk about the business and show you how they fix and maintain the classic cars that Cuba is so famous for. 

End the day at the art and craft center, located at the former Almacenes de San José on the Port of Havana. This harbor-side warehouse was built in 1885 and is considered the oldest depository in Old Havana. The sober and imposing façade that looks out onto the city conceals the building’s steel structure, which has endured the passing of time and is perfectly preserved. After a painstaking restoration process of almost three years, the huge edifice is now the Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes San José. Conceived as a cultural center with art exhibitions, theatrical performances, and recreational activities for children, it has also become a place for local crafts people to display their wares.

Dinner this evening at the private restaurant Sensaciones. 

Overnight: Marques de la Torre

Meals: B, L, D

This morning stop at Callejon de Hamel, the site of a huge multi-dimensional Afro-Cuban mural. Here there will be a chance to learn more about the Santeria religion where we meet with a Santeria practitioner, Elias Aseff. Probably the most explicit reference to the African soul in Cuba is to be found in Santeria, which represents the synthesis of the cults of African slaves and the Catholic religion, Accompanied by Elias, we will enter a Santeria home and learn more about this religion

From here drive to the home and studio of artist José Fuster for a private lunch. Fuster has turned his neighborhood into one enormous piece of mosaic art. His vast array of works evoking the nation’s African roots from ceramics to whimsical paintings drawn from ordinary life in Cuba: commuters crowded inside creaky, smoke-belching buses, the ubiquitous dominoes games in backyards and street corners,

After lunch enjoy an opportunity to learn about the Cuban musical tradition at an interactive musical workshop. Cuban Afro-Cuban music has its roots deep in the traditions, religion, and family knowledge dating back to the slave ships and before. There are many different kinds of salsa music and dance in Cuba but most of these styles are derived from “Son” which will be the focus this morning. Son developed in eastern rural areas of Cuba around the turn of the 20th century, but traces of it date back to the 1700s. Son is a distinctly Afro-Cuban musical style because it uses an African rhythm, Spanish poetic styles in the lyrics, and the use of plucked instruments.

Right after enjoy a private Salsa class. Salsa has its origins in Cuba where the blending of African drum rhythms and Spanish guitar evolved into a variety of Latin American music. Today's Salsa dancing is a rich blend of Latin-American and Western influences. 

Return to the hotel stopping at the John Lennon Park where, there is a sculpture of the former Beatles member John Lennon, sculpted by Cuban artist José Villa Soberón. On a marble tile at the foot of the bench there is an inscription written, in Spanish, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." The statue was unveiled by Fidel Castro on December 8, 2000, the 20th anniversary of Lennon's murder who, at one time, banned the music of the Beatles in Havana. The sculpture of Lennon is currently not wearing his signature round-lens glasses, which have been stolen several times! 

This evening enjoy a New Year’s Eve celebratory dinner.

Overnight: Marques de la Torre

Meals: B, L, D

Depart the hotel this afternoon for the airport for your return flight the U.S. 

Meals: B